Laboratory Virpath

Scientific and medical context of influenza
virus:Influenza viruses belong to the
Orthomyxoviridae family and are grouped into three types (A, B and C). These are enveloped viruses whose genome is presented in the
form of eight single-stranded RNA segments of negative polarity. The
type A viruses were isolated from humans and several animal species, including birds, while influenza B and C are virtually isolated than in men. Only type A viruses have pandemic potential. They
are divided into subtypes which are classified based on antigenic specificities of the two surface glycoproteins: hemagglutinin (HA 1 to 16) and neuraminidase (NA 1-9).

Influenza is a viral infection
caused by influenza virus type A and B that cause an epidemic every winter responsible for 1 to 8 million cases. As
in many countries, the epidemic outbreaks have a significant impact in terms of mortality and morbidity; average lethality of an influenza epidemic is of the order of
0.1%.Influenza viruses are pathogens
whose mechanisms of replicative cycle are still a number of gray areas. While
basic and clinical knowledge of these viruses are increasingly rich and complex determinants of pathogenicity, the nature of the immune response post-infectious and post-vaccination and
the viral elements participating in the cooperative virus-bacterium are still only partially
understood.Similarly,
although the viral replicative cycle occurs in the nuclei of infected cells, the fine regulation of subcellular sites and mechanisms of viral replication and transcription remain to be
characterized.

Furthermore, influenza viruses are constantly re-emergence by
definition. This reflects their ability to brew
genetic material between viruses of subtypes same or different, of human origin and / or animal. These exchanges of genes sometimes lead to the
emergence of a new subtype adapted to humans which can lead to a pandemic. The
mechanisms of appearance of these viruses and the molecular determinants that control cellular and viral genetic reassortment are not yet fully identified.

The
fight against the flu based on two pillars: the approach prophylaxique, thanks to vaccination, and the therapeutic approach through the development of antivirals.These
two fields of research are yet to expand, to enhance the immune response following vaccination, or to strengthen and enrich the therapeutic arsenal that can provide a better fight against
these viruses.

In this contextandbiomedicalscience, the laboratory is organized intotwo teams thatfocus their
activitiesinbasic and applied researchin the following areas: